Dysfunctional Dallas
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page
The Stars are getting a lot of press because this Saturday’s game in Boston. Most of it is bad press. Outside of the recaps of what happened, here’s a hot sports opinion from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News:
An astute NHL executive once told me that losing often makes otherwise solid character players get out of character and it looks as though exactly that is happening to the Dallas Stars.
Entering games in Anaheim and San Jose this weekend, the Stars are reeling and their stars are speaking out. First, Marty Turco, who has been abysmal so far this season, publicly blamed his defensemen for screening him too much. But at least he admitted it probably came down to his teammates not trusting him to make a save.
But even more damning was what Mike Modano had to say after the Stars lost 5-1 in Boston Saturday night, a game where Sean Avery and Steve Ott were running around like idiots.
“It was idiotic and stupid,” Modano told the Dallas Morning News. “It was one of the most embarrassing things I’ve seen. If that’s what we’re going for, then they need to find me an office job.”
The fact of the matter is the Stars leadership core – Modano, Turco and Brenden Morrow – have no time for Avery, who has proved this season that the Rangers’ great record when he was in the lineup was an anomaly.
Avery has become a distraction in Dallas, a player who has quickly become more of a headache than he’s worth. And now Brett Hull, who was the one who brought Avery in and signed him to a four-year deal with a no-trade clause, is coming under considerable heat for the decision. After a strong start, Hull has proven to be an impetuous and overly emotional GM, which is the direct opposite of co-GM Les Jackson.
Signing Avery could turn out to be a disaster. To be fair, Avery isn’t responsible for Turco’s poor play or the fact neither Sergei Zubov nor Jere Lehtinen has played this season, but he has taken up far too much of their energy.
Oh and another point, everyone loved the way that Ott played at the end of the year last year when he was getting under the other teams skin. Now he goes out and does it and everyone hates just because the team isn’t playing well. His “anticts” got the team a 4-minute power play and drew the other teams attention all night so I’m not sure what he did to cause the loss. If the power play would have scored on that power play then it would have been 2-2 and a totally different game, blame it on the power play (or something)!
Right on Layne. If anything, besides the B’s game, Avery has been the opposite, not making his presence felt on the ice.
I have to agree with Layne and Mike. I think Avery has not been the issue here. If they would quit giving up 5 goals a game, things would get better in a hurry!!
Hate to say it because I like Tippett, but there seems to have been a major miscalculation well up in hockey administration. What went on last spring was not really a return to glory. The Stars did get to the West Finals, but they did so by beating two teams that were not quite working as complete teams. When the Stars did run up against a really functioning team, it was over. Preseason should have been used to ready the team for the season and not as a carnival of newcomers in a rainbow of combinations.
I still like Sean and I think he can be of great value to the team. Have you ever watched how FAST he skates and gets from one point to another in a flash. The problem, as I see it, is putting Otter and Avery on the same line. They just seem to feed off of each other and then the sparks fly. Sean has been uncharacteristically quiet until the Bruins game and then it all broke loose. I know Sean can be a loose cannon but at this point that is not a reason to blame him for the mistakes Marty and the defense make. Face it, Marty has always tried to shift the blame of his poor play to someone else. I have said for three years that we needed to get rid of him. He IS NOT the “elite” net minder that he would like for all to believe.
Thank you Stars Rule. But it we got rid of Turco it would be tough to see who we’d get. I think we might be able to work a trade with Ottawa to get Gerber. But that would be a HUGE HUGE HUGE gamble. I dont know if Hull would risk that.
That guy is an idiot. I haven’t noticed Avery doing anything to be a distraction on or off the ice. He has 2 goals in the last few games and has played pretty solid in every game that I have watched this year.
That is just a case of the writer blaming a bad start on an easy scapegoat. The real problem is the horrible play of the young defense in front of our goalies.